Exam 28: Nervous Systems

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow. Curare is a potent neurotoxin extracted from the Strychnos toxifera plant in Central and South America. Indigenous peoples of South America applied curare to arrows, which they used to hunt and kill animals. Curare acts at synapses between motor neurons and skeletal muscle cells. When a motor neuron synapses with a skeletal muscle cell, the skeletal muscle cell may be stimulated or inhibited just like postsynaptic neurons are. Curare acts by binding temporarily to acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic cell and prevents acetylcholine from binding. -What effect does curare likely have on the postsynaptic cell?

You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching after being exposed to the insecticide. This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on the nervous system. In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle to contract (including insect muscles). Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents. -Since pesticides affect humans in a manner similar to that of roaches, it would be valid to conclude that

During a game, a football player got hit in the head and is now "seeing stars." What region of his brain might have been damaged?

The sophisticated behavior of mammals and birds is directly related to

Action potentials normally travel along an axon

Which statement about Alzheimer's disease is true?

Why is there a bias towards positive results in scientific publications?

Our biological clock, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle, is housed within the

-In what stage(s) is(are) voltage-gated potassium channels opening?

Inhibitory neurotransmitters are most like what part of an automobile?

What part of a neuron carries signals toward the part of the cell that houses the nucleus?

You recently sprayed your apartment with insecticide to remove an infestation of cockroaches. In your kitchen, you noticed some roaches lying on their backs twitching after being exposed to the insecticide. This aroused your curiosity, so you decided to investigate exactly how the insecticide works on the nervous system. In your research, you discover that the insecticide you used contains a permanent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that stimulates skeletal muscle to contract (including insect muscles). Acetylcholinesterase removes acetylcholine from the synapse after the signal is received. Exposure to high pesticide concentrations has a similar effect on humans, which can also be caused by exposure to the nerve gas Sarin and other chemical agents. -Why did the insecticide cause uncontrollable twitching in the roaches?

A physician friend of yours is telling you about a patient with a head injury who suddenly stopped breathing. Your friend explains that the bony rim was pressing against the breathing center. You guess that the "bony rim" (whatever that is) must have been exerting pressure in the region of the

Which statement about resting potential is true?

Which results from stimulation by the parasympathetic nervous system?

After reading the paragraphs below, answer the questions that follow. Curare is a potent neurotoxin extracted from the Strychnos toxifera plant in Central and South America. Indigenous peoples of South America applied curare to arrows, which they used to hunt and kill animals. Curare acts at synapses between motor neurons and skeletal muscle cells. When a motor neuron synapses with a skeletal muscle cell, the skeletal muscle cell may be stimulated or inhibited just like postsynaptic neurons are. Curare acts by binding temporarily to acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic cell and prevents acetylcholine from binding. -Which could be an effective treatment for curare poisoning?

The uniformity in the way nerve cells function within the animal kingdom

The enteric division of the autonomic nervous system consists of neurons in the digestive tract, the gallbladder, and the

During practice, a soccer player got hit in the head. After a few minutes, she was able to get up and went to the sidelines to get a bottle of water. As she was walking she felt extremely dizzy and fell over. What part of her brain may have been damaged?

During transmission across a typical chemical synapse